Frequency and predictive value of the clinical manifestations in Sjögren's syndrome

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency and predictive value of glandular and extraglandular manifestations in S ogren's syndrome (SS). The clinical profiles of 169 SS patients were compared to those of 44 non-SS controls. The specific symptoms examined were oral, ocular, vaginal, gastric, pulmonary, skin, joint and muscle pain. Statistical analyses were performed on both individual and grouped symptoms. Chi-squared analyses showed that the frequency of all symptoms was significantly higher among patients than controls. Stepwise discriminant analysis of individual symptoms suggests that the combined symptoms of dry mouth, sore mouth, and dry eyes correctly classified 93% of SS and 97.7% of the controls. While grouped gastric, muscle, psychological, vaginal, skin, nasal, and thyroid symptoms correctly classified 64.3% of SS and 86.1% of the controls. This is the first study to examine the diagnostic value of multi-system manifestation in SS. The overall results suggest that a comprehensive questionnaire of various symptoms may assist the diagnosis of SS. The high predictive value of the combined symptoms confirms their value in the evaluation of SS.